The Billionaire Bargain 3 (11 page)
“Damn,
but I almost wish there was bad news. If there were only any news at
all—”
I
stood up and crossed to him, realizing with dawning discomfort that
my panties were on backwards. No matter. I took his hands and
squeezed them.
“Grant,
you were great. I know things are tense right now, but I swear, this
is going to be fine. Nobody could go against you, not after all those
things you said, and the way you said them. You were amazing.”
Grant
looked at me as if I were a beautifully crafted puzzle box he had no
hope of unlocking. His hand slid up my arm, and cupped my cheek
gently. “Why do you care so much?” He didn’t throw
it in my face cruelly as he once had; his voice this time was soft,
gentle, hopeful and curious at the same time. “Why do you
always have my back on this?”
I
faltered. “The—the company means a lot to me. The way
they took a chance on me—the things I can do with them in the
future—”
Some
spark of hope seemed to flicker out on Grant’s face. “I
see.”
My
heart seemed caught in my throat as I held his gaze and spoke the
next words. “And you…you mean a lot to me, too.
More
than the company. More than…anything.”
Grant’s
eyes widened, and then he was kissing me, pulling me so close into
his embrace that I couldn’t tell where he ended and I began.
“Lacey,”
he said breathlessly, pulling away for just a second before kissing
me again. He smiled crookedly against my lips, and there was a light
of awe in his eyes that I could never get tired of. “You…I
care about you too. I care so much, I—God, Lacey.”
He
kissed me again as if to say what he couldn’t, and then
switched back to words.
“You
made me a better man. You made me realize I wanted to be a better
man. Before you, I didn’t realize the impact my resources could
have—I didn’t realize the impact I could have, for good.”
“You
were pretty good on the impact for speedboats though,” I
teased, trying to cover up my blushing. I might have succeeded at
that, but the tears of joy streaming down my face kind of ruined it.
Grant
wiped them away as gently as if he were straightening the wings of a
butterfly. “Lacey, I’m trying to say that I love you.”
And
there, in that moment, all was right with the universe.
I
kissed him back desperately, my nails digging into his arms, my teeth
nipping at his lips as his stubble ground against my skin. It was
happening, oh God, it was really happening: I had really told him how
I felt and he wasn’t laughing at me, he was kissing me, and he
loved me, he’d said he loved me, he really loved me. And I was
never letting him go.
“I
love you too,” I whispered, my heart so filled with joy that it
might explode. Then I grinned and whooped. “I love you too!”
Grant
squeezed me tight, and leaned in for another kiss—
My
assistant Tina burst into the room, her face split in the biggest
grin I had ever seen.
“We
won! Oh my God, you guys, we won! It was a landslide! Portia’s
packing her bags! We won, we won, we won!”
She
did a little dance and then, squealing, ran off, presumably to spread
the good tidings.
“We
really did it,” Grant said, sinking onto the sofa, dazed.
“And
Tina spoke an entire paragraph without ending a single sentence in a
question mark,” I added. “Between that and the fact that
you love me—” Lord, but I was never going to be tired of
hearing those words—“today is looking like a day for
miracles.”
“You
have it the wrong way around,” Grant said, reaching for me and
pulling me down beside him. “The miracle is that you love me.”
And
before I could argue it further, he kissed me again.
Our
kisses moments ago had been desperate and passionate, their ardor
born of our startled joy, of our urgent need to confirm that the
other loved us, wanted us, was truly there and not just a dream.
This
kiss was slow and tender, a cherishing of each sensation we could
give and receive, a promise of love and safety and security. Our lips
met again and again, teasing and comforting, tantalizing and then
soothing.
“You
know what we should do next?” Grant murmured when we finally
broke contact. “Celebrate.”
I
smiled shyly. “I have a few ideas.”
“Naughty,
naughty,” Grant said with raised eyebrows. “You’ll
certainly have to share those ideas with me soon. You know I value
your contributions.” He took me by the hand and smiled. “I
couldn’t have done this without you.”
• • •
“OMG,
you guys!!” Kate threw her arms around us and embraced us both
at once, crushing us in her love-fueled and
strawberry-daiquiri-scented grip. “You did it! You really did
it! You would not believe how happy I am for you!”
This
was Devlin Media Corp’s official public celebration, following
shortly on the heels of my and Grant’s private one. Everyone
was there—Grant had rented out a football stadium in order to
fit in as many shareholders, employees, and families as wanted to
attend. There was free pizza, booze, three bands Grant had called in,
and fireworks. Now that’s what I’d call a proper company
picnic.
“Thanks,
Kate, I love you too, girl,” I said, laughing and disengaging
gently. “Damn, but my man knows how to throw a party.”
I
leaned back into him, feeling a doofy smile spread across my face.
Not going to lie, my favorite part of this event was how Grant had
kept his arm around me the whole time. I could spend the rest of my
life this way.
He
leaned down and kissed my temple. “Only the best for you,
sugarplum.”
Kate
rolled her eyes. “All right, you lovebirds, watch it. There are
children present.”
She
spotted someone over our shoulder, her eyes widening. “Holy
shit, is that—did you seriously invite—”
“Your
favorite actor to ever play Sherlock Holmes? Yes, yes, we did,”
I said, laughing. “And he’s got an autograph just for
you. I never would have gotten halfway here without your advice,
after all.”
“Girl,
I will give you about a thousand thank-yous later, but right now I
have to go tackle-hug this man!” And Kate was off like a shot.
I
chuckled fondly and let my head fall against Grant’s shoulder.
“You really are amazing. I don’t know what could top
this.”
“Well,
I do have some ideas to start with.” He guided me into a
private patch of shadow and slid two pieces of paper into my hand.
I
gaped at them for several seconds before I could believe my eyes.
“Tickets to the Caribbean?”
He
grinned. “We leave tonight.”
I
stared up at him, blown away by his thoughtfulness and generosity.
“Really? You’re serious?”
That
grin widened, playful and wicked. “Oh, I’m very serious,
Lacey. You’ve earned yourself a decent vacation.” He
leaned in, his hot breath tickling my ear as he growled. “You
see, I’ve been a very bad boss, overworking you so.”
His
hand slid to cup my breast, his fingers circling but not quite
touching my nipple.
My
breath caught in my throat. “Have you heard me complaining?”
“Nonetheless,
now I’m going to make it up to you.” His voice dipped
lower, a sensual growl. “We have a private villa, beachfront.”
“Nice
view?” I asked, trying to be casual even as he set my body on
fire.
“Oh,
I’m hoping for a very nice view indeed.” The glint in his
eyes grew mischievous. “Didn’t I mention? It’s
clothing optional.”
The end.
I
lay sprawled on our towel, luxuriating both in the heat of the sun
and the heat of Grant’s bronzed body next to mine.
The
light made the white sands gleam as though we rested on diamonds, and
turned the ocean into a sparkling sapphire, yet a light breeze played
with my hair and kept me cool as it carried the sounds of exotic
birds and a steel drum band just around the bend of the coastline.
“Ready
for another dip?” Grant asked.
“Mmm,
just a minute,” I said, snuggling up to his side. “I just
want to treasure this moment a little bit longer.”
“Well,
with a reason like that,” Grant said, sliding his strong arms
around me, “feel free to take all the time you need.”
The
past week had been amazing: snorkeling in the shallows and scuba
diving in the coral reefs during the day, dances and fancy banquet
dinners at night. We had hiked through leafy green jungles, visited
quaint cafes where the scent of coffee mingled with pineapple and the
sea-salt air, walked hand in hand through the moonlit streets, just
talking and enjoying each other’s company.
Grant
pulled out a sunscreen bottle and began to massage the
coconut-scented lotion into my skin. He also took the opportunity to
stroke my legs, teasing at the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, his
hand slowly traveling higher and higher.
“You’re
incorrigible,” I told him with a light smack to his arm that
did nothing to discourage him. After all, I hardly wanted him to
stop.
“I’m
purely and nobly concerned for the safety of your skin,” he
said with a straight face. He leaned over, murmuring just before his
lips met mine: “After all, it’s very important to watch
what you eat.”
He
kissed me sensually, and I reached up to cradle his face as I kissed
him back, reveling in the taste of his lips, the assurance of his
touch. He was strong and warm and mine, all mine. My beautiful, kind
Grant.
“I
wish we never had to leave,” I whispered when we finally pulled
apart, staring into those eyes even bluer than the sea we lay by. “I
wish we could stay like this forever.”
He
stroked my cheek. “I don’t know about ‘here,’
but I can certainly assure you on the ‘forever.’”
And
then I felt a ring being slid onto my finger.
I
looked down and gasped, and then looked up into his eyes, uncertain
whether to believe that this was really happening, that he was really
saying what I thought he was saying.
“You
are the sun of my life,” Grant said solemnly. “You warm
my heart. You shed light on all my dreams and the ways to make them
come true. I find my entire existence revolving around you, and I
wouldn’t have it any other way.” He crooked a shy smile.
“Even if it means trying an astonishing variety of quinoa-based
dishes with your mother. I would not have you any other way, and I
would not have anyone but you. Marry me, Lacey Newman? For real this
time.”
And
what do you think I said?
“Yes!”
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